Tilting means for venetian blinds



y 1951 F. x. GANTER 2,552,956

TILTING MEANS FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Filed March 2, 1945 INVENTOR. fPANC/Sx. GANTZ'E' ATTORNEY.

Patented May 15, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TILTING MEANS FORVENETIAN BLINDS Francis X. Ganter, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 2, 1945, Serial No. 580,563

4 Claims. 1

My invention relates to a tilting means particularly adapted forVenetian blinds.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a tiltingmeans of this class for Venetian blinds whereby only one cord isemployed, thus eliminating confusion, allowing no choice or alternativein the selection of cords or other means for tilting of the slats of aVenetian blind in one direction or another.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a tilting meansof this class in which it is necessary only to shift or draw the tiltingcord or other tension member or means the same outwardly, to release andactuate the tilting means in order positively to tilt the slats in onedirection or angle, or to allow the means to tilt the slats in theopposite direction or angle.

An important object also of this invention is to provide a means of thisclass which may be easily installed on or in connection with a Venetianblind, and a means of this class which is self-contained so that noother installation or attachment need be made on or in connection withthe Venetian blind.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a device ofthis class which is constructed of a minimum number of parts, and astructure in which the parts may be easily and quickly fabricated andassembled.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter, I havedevised a Venetian blind tilting means having certain novel features ofconstruction, combination, and arrangement of parts and portions, aswill be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth inthe appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the characters of reference thereon, which form a part of thisapplication, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of one corner of a Venetianblind, showing my tilting means in a preferred form incorporatedtherein;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation thereof, taken through 2-2of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken through 33 of Fig. 1 showingprimarily the tilting means separate from the Venetian blind, portionsthereof being broken away and in sec tion to facilitate theillustration, and portions being indicated by dash lines to show anoutwardly moved position thereof;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view thereof, taken through 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top view of the tilting device taken at 5-5 of Fig. 3; and,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the tilting device.

The usual Venetian blind is mounted on and depends from the upper rail Iof a window frame I. The usual Venetian blind is provided at its upperend with a long horizontal rail or supporting member 2, on which theslats 3 are supported by means of fabric or other flexible straps 4. Theopposite ends of the supporting member 2 are pivotally supported bytrunnions 2 on brackets depending from the horizontal rail I of thewindow frame. (In the drawings, only one end of the supporting member 2is shown). One of the supporting brackets of the Venetian blind may bethe housing and bracket vII of my tilting means. In the housing orbracket II is rotatably mounted a sheave I2 which is shown as axiallyconnected to one of the trunnions 2 of the supporting member 2.

The sheave I2, together with its coaxial and supporting trunnions It",is shown as cast as one member. The bracket is provided with spacedapart walls II a between which the sheave is positioned. These walls areprovided with slots II", open at the upper ends, for receiving andlocating the trunnions I 2. The sheave I2 is loosely supported by meansof the trunnions I 2,

which trunnions rest at the lower ends of the slots I I.

The trunnions of the sheave have a coaxial square hole for receiving thesquare extended portions of the trunnion 2 The latter is shown in theform of a bracket secured over the end of the rail or supporting member2.

The sheave is adapted to be rotated by a tension member, which isusually a cord I3. The cord is adapted to be wound in the hollowperipheral portion or groove I2 of the sheave. The sheave end of thecord may extend through a hole in the groove I2 and is secured theretoto the sheave by a knot I3 located within a recess I2 on the inner sideof the grooved portion or flange of the sheave.

The sheave is locked against rotation about its axis, and thereforeprevented from tilting the Venetian blind supporting member 2, by a pawlI I. This pawl is partially arcuate in shape, conforming partially tothe periphery of the sheave. The upper end I4 of the pawl is pivotallysupported on the opposite walls Il of the bracket II. The other end ofthe pawl extends downwardly a slight distance beyond the lateralextremity of the periphery of the sheave and is provided at suchdepending portion, designated I4 with a groove HI which is designed toreceive the cord I3. The intermediate portion of the pawl is providedwith one or more lugs M which extend toward the sheave and are adaptedto enter equally spaced notches 12 in the periphery of the flanges atthe opposite sides of the annular groove I2 of the sheave, said notchesproviding a ratchet. When the pawl rests in its normal position, the lugor lugs M are adapted to enter the notches 12 of the sheave. When thecord is shifted, or drawn outwardly, as indicated by dotted lines inFig. 3, the pawl is tilted about its pivotal axis, causing the lug orlugs M to be removed from the notches l2 permitting the sheave to berotated by drawing the cord 13 downwardly.

A spring I is provided to counteract the action of the cord l3 andnormally to urge the cord I3 free of the sheave, but the cord, whenpulled, may rotate the sheave against the action of the spring.

This spring is located in a recess l2 at one side of the sheave, one endof the spring being located in a hole i2 in the sheave and the other endof the spring being located in the slots 1 1 in the adjacent wall I l ofthe bracket. Such construction permits the spring to be mounted in thesheave and the sheave dropped in place in the bracket I! as a unit withthe spring.

The tension of the spring may be varied by raising the pawl and rotatingthe sheave.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction,combination, and arrangement of parts and portions, I 'do not wish to belimited to the same, but desire to include in the scope of my inventionthe construction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forthin the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a means of the class described for tilting a Venetian blind, abracket, a pulley rotatable thereon, said pulley having a ratchet on itsperiphery, said bracket being made of one piece and provided withopposite side walls with slots therein, said slots being opposed andopen at their upper ends, the pulley having trunnions at its oppositesides adapted to be inserted through the upper ends of the slots and torest at the lower ends thereof, a pawl pivotally mounted on the bracketand normally in engagement with the ratchet, said pawl having adepending free end disposed adjacent the periphery of the pulley, a cordwound on the pulley and adapted when unwound to rotate the same saidcard having an end normally depending from the pulley between saidpulley and said depending free end, flexing movement of the cord towardthe free end of the pawl efiecting disengagement of the pawl from theratchet so as to allow rotation of the pulley in response to unwindingof said cord in a diagonally downward direction.

2. In a means of the class described for tilting a Venetian blind, abracket, a pulley rotatable thereon, said pulley having a ratchet, saidbracket being made of one piece and provided with opposite side wallswith slots therein, said slots being opposed and open at their upperends the pulley having trunnions at its opposite sides adapted to beinserted through the upper ends of the slots and to rest at the lowerends thereof, a coil .4 spring disposed concentrically of the axis ofthe pulley, one end of the spring being secured to the pulley and theother end being located in the adjacent slot of the bracket, a pawlpivotally mounted on the bracket and normally in engagement with theratchet, said pawl having a depending end disposed adjacent theperiphery of the pulley and a cord wound on the pulley and adapted whendrawn ofi therefrom to rotate outward flexing movement of said endeffecting engagement of the card with the free end of the pawl so as todisengage the pawl from the ratchet to allow rotation of the pulley inresponse to unwinding of said cord.

3. A tilting device for a Venetian blind, comprising: a bracket; apulley rotatable on said bracket, said pulley having a ratchet on itsperiphery; a pawl pivoted on said bracket above said pulley and normallyengaging said ratchet, said pawl having a depending free end extendingsubstantially tangentially of the periphery of said pulley; and a cordwound on said pulley and having an end normally extending tangentiallydownwardly from the same between said pulley and said free end of saidpawl, said end of said cord being adapted, upon movement in a laterallyoutwardly direction away from said pulley, to engage said free end ofsaid pawl so as to pivot said pawl in a direction to disengage it fromsaid ratchet to allow rotation of said pulley in one direction inresponse to unwinding of said cord in an inclined downward direction.

4. A tilting device for a Venetian blind, cornprising: a bracket; apulley rotatable on said bracket, said pulley having a ratchet on itsperiphery; a pawl pivoted on said bracket above said pulley and normallyengaging said ratchet, said pawl having a depending free end extendingsubstantially tangentially of the periphery of said pulley; a cord woundon said pulley and having an end normally extending tangentiallydownwardly from the same between said pulley and said free end of saidpawl, said end of said cord being adapted, upon movement in a laterallyoutwardly direction away from said pulley, to engage said free end ofsaid pawl so as to pivot said pawl in a direction to disengage it fromsaid ratchet to allow rotation of said pulley in one direction inresponse to unwinding of said cord in an inclined downward. direction;and a coil spring disposed concentrically of the axis of rotation ofsaid pulley, said spring having one end engaging said pulley and itsother end engaging said bracket, said spring being normally operative torotate said pulley in the opposite direction.

FRANCIS X. GANTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 578,346 Miller Mar. 3, 18971,772,493 Leeper Aug. 12, 1930 1,862,163 Russel June '7, 1932 2,388,000Larson Oct. 30, 1945

